I have a confession. I’ve had this beautiful elegant and understated label staring at me for over two months. There is something engaging about the simple serif font with only the winery name and vintage on the front. There were times I even set the bottle on top of the cellar buffet just for show. Finally, the time has come to pop the cork and discover if what’s inside the bottle is as elegant and beautiful as the outside. Penche is French for leaning bending or tilting and the winery name is taken from the old oak trees on the […]

The sky is falling, the sky is falling! “Woooolllff!” Run, hide, take cover, the apocalypse is now! “The world is drowning in an ocean of cheap wine.” 2008 and 2009 have been very challenging years. Many of you reading this have had to change your spending habits as your income has been diminished or has vanished entirely. The Great Recession, as it will end up being played out in the history books, has changed the landscape of nearly every industry and left its mark on just about every person in the world. How has the wine industry faired? What is […]

WELCOME GUEST BLOGGER Joshua Sweeney A favorite saying among online wine reviewers is that wine is a journey, not a destination. What this means is that we should be drinking wine for the experience of it, not the effect. When you’re in college (and this is the cliché that we always fall back on, as if there aren’t discerning drinkers pursuing a higher degree), quaffing whatever beverage loaded with a high alcohol percentage is proffered to us, any plastic cup filled from any jug, cooler, bathtub, or keg will do. Once we move beyond the destination of drinking to get drunk […]

Twenty four hours of Chardonnay? When I heard the concept I was a little baffled. Previous online tasting events have been confined to a few short hours of frenzy and fury. 2000 tweets crammed into 2 hours can be pretty tough to tackle even for the most experienced twitter addict. The expanded time frame allows for other countries to participate in their own time zones and allows for a very relaxed tasting schedule. Chardonnay? Really – why Chardonnay? I suppose when you think about it the much maligned US version of the grape isn’t really a great representation of what […]

This weekend in Spokane is all about First Friday AND Spring Barrel Tasting. Enjoy the dozens of locations in downtown on Friday and the 16 wineries all weekend long. Scroll down for some of the upcoming ‘on the radar’ events. Having an event and don’t see it on the list? Email me josh@nectarcoffeeandwine.com All Weekend Spring Barrel Tasting in Spokane – One of Spokane’s premier wine events. The Spokane Winery Association showcase 16 wineries current, new and future releases. Wineries are open 11am – 5pm Friday – Sunday. Some charge a tasting fee. Click the link for some suggestions, a game-plan for […]